[WikiEN-l] original research

Fri Mar 4 21:02:05 UTC 2005

steven l. rubenstein wrote

<snip>

> I think we should give editors --
> not just individuals, but the community of editors -- a lot of leeway for
> deciding when we need to start enforcing strict rules uncompromisingly.

I'm generally in agreement with this, and the rest of Steven's post.

It may make me seem contrarian, but when it is argued that certain
reasonable policies should be applied to the letter, to sort out edit wars
in the 'right' direction, I begin to be worried about them; and the extended
discussion Steven gave makes me feel I am perhaps not alone in this.  In the
point provoking this, it must be the use of fallacy rather than logic that
is really at fault.

Anyway, we appear to have an ongoing situation where some policies which are
founded in principle don't have support for pedantic enforcement; and some
policy - 3RR at least - is quite arbitrary but its pedantic enforcement has
quite general support.

Moreover there is a persistent 'semi-detached' tendency, of active editors
who are respected for their work, and who find this all the wrong way round.

Where it seems to get tricky is when it is argued that change in this
situation - which is perhaps quite a stable one, in fact - could deal with
perceived major issues.  Well, I remain sceptical about that.

Charles